Friday 5 April 2013

2013 Sakura Season in Tokyo, Part 3


1725F of the EMU Keio 1000 series leaves Nishi-Eifuku Station on the Inokashira Line

Before closing the 2013 Sakura (cherry blossom) season in Tokyo, I am going to introduce the Sakura blossoms in a suburban residential area. As I mentioned in my blog on April 8th, 2011, I was born in a western suburb of Tokyo, along the Keio-Inokashira Line. Although it has become a typical residential area currently, I could see some crofts and empty lots around my house when I was a kid.

The Kanda River ran through the residential area near my house. It was a small stream, which came from Inokashira Park. I often played crawfishing and threw stones on the river bank. Although it was a fun-packed river for kids, flooding during the typhoon season often caused serious problems. In the 1980's, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducted improvements to the river to prevent flooding. As a result, the scenery of the river has drastically changed. The native landscaping has disappeared, while the risk of flooding has reduced. The other highlight was the planting of Sakura trees on the river bank.

Today, the Sakura trees on the Kanda River have grown, and entertain many visitors in the blooming seasons. I also enjoy walking along the river and viewing Sakura every year (see the following photo).

In the meantime, The Keio-Inokashira Line is famous for its "rainbow colored" train bodies. The top photo shows one of the seven colors, namely "light green" of the EMU 1000 series (see the top photo). The trains are also fun-packed on the Keio-Inokashira Line.

Full-blown Sakura trees along Kanda River near Nishi-Eifuku Station on the Keio-Inokashira Line